12.10.08

Quantum Libraries

Esteemed historian and 'blogfriend Zenpundit has posted his "Quantum Library" -- books that are so rich in content that each time you re-read them, they elicit new insights. Since he was kind enough to ask, my own Quantum Library is offered here:

The Prophet : Kahlil Gibran's beautifully written tale of a wise man, beloved in his community, poetically offering life advice to his friends upon his departure from their city.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy : J.R.R. Tolkein's masterful story of the 3rd Age of Middle Earth, seen by some as a corollary to the Cold War stand-off between NATO and the Warsaw Pact.

The Book of Five Rings (Tarver translation): Miyamoto Musashi's 350-year old book on success in swordplay is equally applicable to modern business.

The Art of War (Griffith translation): Sun Tzu's classic text on success in war -- where the acme of skill is to achieve victory without fighting -- is as apt today as ever.

Diplomacy : Elder statesman Henry Kissinger's very accessible, very readable account of the evolution of diplomacy from the Peace of Westphalia to the present day.

The Sea Power of the State : Soviet Admiral Gorshkov's admirable counterpoint to Alfred Thayer Mahan, this book is even more admirable considering the limited navigable ports of the former Soviet Union.

Dreadnought : Massie's fascinating history of turn-of-the-20th-century U.K. and Germany, brilliantly describing the seeds of animosity that led to The Great War.